India to manufacture shipping containers |
India will manufacture shipping containers under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Programme but with a eye on boosting exports. Most recently, exports took a dive du to the shortage of shipping containers. At present, India is solely dependent on the public sector Shipping Corporation of India. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has already set up a committee to study the feasibility of manufacturing containers at Bhavnagar in Gujarat. Other such hubs are also being explored. Most exporters have been relying primarily on Chinese containers until now. But with geopolitical contours changing rapidly, the shortage of containers has hit exporters. Besides, exporters have had to bear the additional burden of freight cost hike. Moreover, India has reduced its imports from China amid rising political tension. According to a report by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), traffic at India`s major ports touched 704.82 million tonnes in 2019-20. Also, India has turned into a major supplier of rice, grain, meat and other agriculture produces globally amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Thus, the-shortage of containers, especially in the post-Covid-19 era has been causing delays in shipment of various goods. All India Rice Exporters` Association says that the issue of non-availability of containers has been brought to the notice of the government. In 2020, India`s farm exports rose by about 10 per cent. India that already supplies over 32 percent of the global rice needs to witness an 80.4 per cent increase in exports of rice - both basmati and non-basmati during the April-December of the current financial year touching 11.58 million tonnes. Exports of non-Basmati rice alone accounted for an increase of 129 percent. Not only rice, but India has also been exporting meat, sugar, dairy products, honey and pulses.
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